Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussion he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with HS2 Ltd on the £23 million funding required for the movement of 18 per cent of Euston approaches excavation material by Rail.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd has recently adopted plans to enable excavated material from the construction of the HS2 Euston Station to be moved by rail. These plans require the construction of rail infrastructure to enable a reduction of around 55,000 lorry movements from the Euston area. HS2 Ltd has also considered opportunities for use of rail transport to take away excavated material from construction of the Euston approaches. This option was rejected on basis of the level of costs required to construct the rail infrastructure and provide and maintain the freight service compared to the limited amount of excavated material that could be removed. As the design progresses, HS2 Ltd and its contractors are committed to realising further opportunities for the use of rail to transport construction materials to the Euston worksite and will continue to provide regular updates to stakeholders and the local community

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what environmental impact assessment he has made of moving Euston approaches excavated material by HGV.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The environmental effects of moving all of the excavated materials arising from the construction of the HS2 Euston Station and Euston Approaches by road was assessed and published in the HS2 Environmental Statement (2015) Additional Provision 3 (AP3). This includes likely significant effects of HGV movements on road traffic, air quality, noise and other relevant topics in accordance with Environmental Impact Assessment methodology.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/supplementary-environmental-statement-2-and-additional-provision-3-environmental-statement-supplementary-environmental-information

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that HS2 Ltd and his Department are working with the (a) local community and (b) Camden Council to maximise the movement of material by rail from (i) Euston Station and (ii) Approaches areas in order to minimise the number of additional HGV lorry movements through Camden.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: In accordance with the HS2 Phase One Environmental Statement and assurances provided to Camden Council, HS2 Ltd has identified an option to maximise the movement of material by rail. In developing proposals with its contractors, HS2 Ltd has a regular dialogue with Camden Council through existing forums and with the local community through the Euston Community Representatives Group, which represents local groups and associations in the Camden area, in addition to making information available on its local ‘HS2 in Camden’ website.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the total budget for High Speed 2 will be uprated from 2015 to 2019 prices; and whether the revised benefit cost ratio calculation for that project will include benefits that arise from expenditure on (a) local regeneration strategies and (b) other wider economic impacts in the cities along the High Speed 2 route.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The decision whether to uprate the total HS2 budget from the current 2015 price base will be taken alongside the Spending Review.The Spending Review will also consider the latest benefits associated with High Speed 2. This will include Wider Economic Impacts in line with the department’s Transport Appraisal Guidance.The department is working with local authorities across the UK to develop growth strategies to ensure the benefits of HS2 are fully realised in local areas.

Durham Coast Railway Line

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the refurbishment of the Sprinter trains for the Durham Coast Line.

Andrew Jones: It is not possible to isolate the cost to the public purse of refurbishment of sprinter trains for the Durham Coast route as the costs of doing this (and offsetting increases in revenue resulting from it) were part of a much wider programme of rolling stock transformation that was offered as part of the winning bid and associated overall subsidy requirement offered in 2015 by Arriva.

Railway Stations: Hampshire

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that there is adequate (a) lighting and (b) CCTV coverage at (i) Bramley Station and (ii) all local rail stations.

Andrew Jones: Arriva Rail North has a station investment programme and will be spending around £60 million over the length of the franchise to improve the quality of their stations on the network. The work includes LED lighting, improving accessibility, rainwater harvesting and plans for redundant buildings. Under the plan, Bramley will receive new seating, new signage, and LED lighting has already been installed.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people working on High Speed Two have signed a non disclosure agreement with his Department.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Transport does not hold non-disclosure agreements with any individuals working on High Speed 2.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Passenger Ships

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Department for Transport on the effect of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s proposals on older UK passenger boats on businesses and skilled maritime jobs.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 29 April 2019



My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and BEIS ministers have not had any direct discussions with the Department for Transport (DfT) on the effect of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s proposals on older UK passenger boats on businesses and skilled maritime jobs. BEIS officials have reached out to the MCA and industry to further understand the issue raised. They also remain closely engaged with DfT on the delivery of the recently published Maritime 2050 strategy and to support growth ambitions across the maritime sector.Should my hon. friend wish to discuss this issue, I would be happy to arrange a meeting.

Post Offices: Closures and Franchises

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of closing Crown post offices and franchising services to WHSmith on the sustainability of the post office network.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010. While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business and the management of the network is an operational matter for Post Office Limited. A report by Citizen’s Advice in June 2017 stated that franchised branches are performing in line with, or better than Directly Managed branches. As part of its ongoing monitoring role Citizens Advice will continue to track the impact of post office changes on consumers and customer satisfaction of post offices, including with the franchising of Directly Managed branches.

Fracking: Water

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the potential volume of waste water from hydraulic fracturing operations in the event that the industry develops as proposed in the government's energy policy. Choose one

Claire Perry: The UK shale gas industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much shale gas it will be possible to technologically and commercially extract from UK shale reserves. In order to determine the potential of the industry and the benefits it could bring the UK, we need exploration to go ahead and Government encourages this. Further exploration will be needed to determine the amount of waste water which would be created by future shale gas development. Future treatment capacity, cost and its expansion is a matter for the shale gas and waste water industries. Both businesses proposing to explore for oil and gas using hydraulic fracturing, and operators carrying out treatment of any wastes generated, require environmental permits from the Environment Agency, which are subject to a detailed site-specific assessment. The permits set legally binding conditions on how activities are carried out so that the local environment is protected.

Fracking: Water

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the potential number of waste water facilities that will be needed to (a) treat and (b) dispose of waste water generated from hydraulic fracturing operations in the event that the industry develops as proposed in the Government's energy policy.

Claire Perry: The UK shale gas industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much shale gas it will be possible to technologically and commercially extract from UK shale reserves. In order to determine the potential of the industry and the benefits it could bring the UK, we need exploration to go ahead and Government encourages this.Further exploration will be needed to determine the amount of waste water facilities which would be required for future shale gas development. Future treatment capacity is a matter for the shale gas and waste water industries. Under the Environmental Permitting Regulations shale gas operators are required to check the capacity of appropriate waste disposal facilities. If operators cannot demonstrate an appropriate disposal route to the Environment Agency during the environmental permitting process it is likely to refuse their application.

Fracking: Waste Disposal

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the potential amount of (a) waste water sludge, (b) sand and (c) filter cake produced from (i) hydraulic fracturing operations and (ii) associated water treatment in the event that the industry develops as proposed in the Government's energy policy.

Claire Perry: The UK shale gas industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much shale gas it will be possible to technologically and commercially extract from UK shale reserves. In order to determine the potential of the industry and the benefits it could bring the UK, we need exploration to go ahead and Government encourages this. Further exploration will be needed to determine the amount of waste water sludge, sand and filter cake which would be created by future shale gas development. Future waste water treatment capacity and its expansion to meet hydraulic fracturing needs is a matter for the industry.

Fracking: Landfill

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number of landfill sites needed to dispose of (a) waste water sludge, (b) sand and (c) filter cake produced from (i) hydraulic fracturing operations and (ii) associated water treatment in the event that the industry develops as proposed in the Government's energy policy.

Claire Perry: The UK shale gas industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much shale gas it will be possible to technologically and commercially extract from UK shale reserves. In order to determine the potential of the industry and the benefits it could bring the UK, we need exploration to go ahead, and Government encourages this. Further exploration will be needed to determine the number of landfill sites required to dispose of waste water sludge, sand and filter cake which would be created by future shale gas development. Future waste treatment capacity and its expansion to meet hydraulic fracturing needs is a matter for the industry. Under Environmental Permitting Regulations, shale gas operators are required to check the capacity of appropriate waste disposal facilities. If operators cannot demonstrate an appropriate disposal route to the Environment Agency during the environmental permitting process, it is likely to refuse their application.

Fracking: Waste Disposal

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of universal waste water treatments sites that are (a) capable and (b) permitted to treat all variations of waste water content generated from hydraulic fracturing operations.

Claire Perry: There are five sites in England with the necessary permits to treat all variations of waste water content generated from hydraulic fracturing. In addition, there are other sites around the country which, subject to obtaining the relevant permits, could accept and treat waste water from hydraulic fracturing.

Living Wage and Minimum Wage: Non-payment

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to publish the names of employers who do not pay the national minimum or national living wage.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 01 May 2019



Enforcement of the National Minimum and National Living Wage (NMW) is a priority for the Government. We are taking tough action against the minority of employers who underpay; in 2018/19 HM Revenue & Customs NMW identified a record £24.4 million in arrears for over 220,000 workers and issued over £17 million in penalties to non-compliant employers. Since 2015 we have doubled our budget to enforce the NMW.To date, we have named almost 2,000 employers who underpaid through the NMW Naming Scheme. As a result of recommendations made by the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, we have now begun a review of the Scheme to ensure it continues to effectively deliver our policy objective of ensuring workers are paid fairly for the work they do. This work is ongoing and will be completed in due course.

Energy: Environment Protection

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of Government green energy projects in each year since 2015.

Claire Perry: The costs of renewable energy schemes for electricity are funded through consumer energy bills, rather than from general taxation. The Renewable Heat Incentive is funded through general taxation:Cost (£m)2015/162016/172017/18Committed Renewable Heat Incentive366530713Source: RHI budget caps, BEIS: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/795530/RHI_budget_cap_publication_data_to_end_of_February_2019.pdf The Department has allocated general taxation for energy innovation spend for green energy projects, in the amounts of:Cost (£m)2015/162016/172017/18 (est)*Energy Innovation spend for green energy projects373473531Source: BEIS annual returns to the International Energy Association for UK energy innovation spend.* Figures for financial year 2017/18 are estimates and figures for 2018/19 are not currently available.

Conditions of Employment

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Written Statement of 17 December 2018, Official Report HCWS1184, when he plans to bring forward detailed proposals on tackling uncertainty around employment status.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government has committed to legislate to improve the clarity of the employment status tests, reflecting the reality of modern working relationships. This will help to ensure that both businesses and individuals understand their rights and obligations. Employment status is a complex issue and so it is only right that we take time to consider how best to achieve change that works for all. We will bring forward detailed proposals on status in due course.

Companies: Ownership

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many exemptions have been made under the people with significant control register; and for what reasons those exemptions have been made.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 02 May 2019



As at 30 April 2019, 836 live companies were exempt from the requirements to file information about their People with Significant Control. This is because they are subject to other disclosure requirements due to their voting shares being admitted to trading on a regulated market in the UK or EEA, or on markets listed in Schedule 1 to the Register of People with Significant Control Regulations 2016. Exemptions can also be granted in very limited circumstances, in the interests of national security, the economic wellbeing of the UK, or in the support or prevention or detection of serious crime. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 26 January 2016, HCWS488, which set out the circumstances in which such exemptions would be granted.

Carbon Emissions

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the US, (b) China and (c) Russia on reducing their cumulative CO2 emissions.

Claire Perry: The UK continues to demonstrate the strong leadership needed to tackle climate change, both at home and abroad. As an issue of significant public and international importance, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I regularly meet with their international counterparts to discuss a range of issues including climate change. As the Cabinet Minister most directly responsible for climate change, I regularly attend major international climate meetings, recently at COP24 in Poland.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the minimum export price level will be on the smart export guarantee scheme.

Claire Perry: The consultation on a Smart Export Guarantee closed on 5 March 2019. We are currently analysing the responses we received and will publish a government response in due course.

Energy Supply

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to abolish the embedded benefits regime for small generators below 100MW.

Claire Perry: Network charging is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, and decisions on any changes to charging arrangements are for it to make. Ofgem is considering the future of some embedded benefits, which relate to the charging arrangements for smaller generators connected to the electricity distribution system, as part of its ongoing Targeted Charging Review. The review is seeking to ensure that all parties connected to the electricity network make a fair contribution to its fixed costs. Ofgem has not yet concluded its review, and is currently considering responses received to a consultation held earlier this year on reform proposals.

Fuel Poverty

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the 2018 Annual Report of the Committee on Fuel Poverty, what steps his Department is taking to respond to the recommendation for a new Clean Growth Fuel Poverty Challenge Fund.

Claire Perry: I am grateful of the advice from the Committee, which we are considering carefully as part of our plan to update the Fuel Poverty Strategy later in 2019.

Zero Hours Contracts: Holiday Leave

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether staff on zero-hours contracts are entitled to annual leave.

Kelly Tolhurst: All workers, including workers on zero-hour contracts are entitled to receive paid annual leave. In 2017, the Unpaid Britain report found that 1.8 million workers are missing out on £1.8 billion each year, in unpaid holiday leave. The Government wants to ensure that all workers, regardless of the hours they work, receive the paid time off they deserve. This is why the Government recently ran the ‘It comes with the job’ advertising campaign encouraging workers to understand their rights and employers to understand their legal obligations. Government has also developed new guidance, available on GOV.UK, to help workers and employers understand holiday pay policy and entitlement. Both the campaign, and the guidance were aimed at atypical workers, which includes workers on zero hours contracts. To aid those at risk of not receiving their holiday entitlement, the Government has also committed to introducing state enforcement of holiday pay for vulnerable workers.

Carbon Emissions

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to address the projection in his Department’s Updated Energy and Emissions Projections 2018, published 11 April 2019, that the UK will miss its carbon targets for 2023 to 2027 by 5.6% and for 2028 to 2032 by 9.6%; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Carbon budgets four and five end in 8 and 13 years respectively and we are already over 90% of the way towards meeting them from a 1990 baseline, even before many of the policies and proposals in the Clean Growth Strategy are taken into account.The Strategy sets out our plans to build on our progress in decarbonising the power sector, while looking further across the whole of the economy and the country. It includes ambitious proposals on housing, business, transport, the natural environment and green finance. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-growth-strategy

Health: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and the Industrial Strategy, whether local health profiles influence the allocation of public investment in health research.

Chris Skidmore: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Retail Trade

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to promote the retail industry through the Government's Industrial Strategy.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many civil servants in his Department have been seconded to (a) the Department for Exiting the European Union and (b) the Department for International Trade in each of the last three years.

Andrew Stephenson: BEIS does not hold centrally the records of every Department loaned staff have joined. However, according to reports from BEIS’ two Shared Services providers during this period, the total number of BEIS staff loaned out in each year is as follows:2016 – 472017 – 532018 – 482019 – 27This data only reflects the loans fully recorded on Shared Services and so may not reflect all loans out of the Department.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Egypt: Gaza

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip on the humanitarian situation in that region.

Mark Field: Ministers and officials regularly raise the situation in Gaza with the Egyptian Government both in London and in Cairo. We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Gaza and support the Palestinian Authority returning to administer Gaza. The Foreign Secretary discussed Gaza with new Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh on 20 March. We continue to urge Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Egypt to work together to ensure a durable solution for Gaza.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on that country’s Middle East peace plan.

Mark Field: We continue to discuss US Middle East peace efforts with the US Administration, including the Foreign Secretary with Jared Kushner on 10 April. We continue to encourage the US Administration to bring forward detailed proposals for a viable Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of both parties.

Oman: Detainees

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Oman on the Shuhuh 6; and what assessments he undertakes of the human rights record of the Omani authorities.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary has not raised the case in question, however human rights forms part of our regular bilateral exchanges with the Omani Government including at the recent Joint Working Group of 25 April. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office encourages all states to uphold their international human rights obligations. Any allegations of human rights violations are concerning and must be thoroughly, promptly and transparently investigated. ​

Bahrain: Human Rights and Press Freedom

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the Bahraini ambassador to the UK Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammad Alkhalifa’s record on human rights and press freedom in Bahrain.

Mark Field: Bahrain is a human rights priority country for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The UK’s relationship with the Government of Bahrain allows us to speak honestly about a range of issues, including human rights and press freedom. We do not shy away from sharing concerns at a senior level, including here in London.

Cabinet Office

Civil Service Agencies

Mike Gapes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list all current Executive Agencies.

Oliver Dowden: A list of Executive Agencies is included in Public Bodies 2018-19. This can be found by following this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-bodies-2018-19-reportAlternatively, a copy is also available in the House Library using the following details: Public Bodies 2018-19: 2019-0385

Department of Health and Social Care

Lung Cancer: Diagnosis

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of lung cancer diagnosis among non-smokers.

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of lung cancer among people that have never smoked cigarettes.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England (PHE) continues to run awareness campaigns focused on the symptoms of lung cancer where the messaging is relevant to both smokers and non-smokers.For example, the PHE Be Clear on Cancer ‘Respiratory Symptoms’ campaign encourages those with a persistent cough or inappropriate breathlessness to visit their doctor, with the aim of improving earlier diagnosis of heart and lung disease, including lung cancer. The campaign has run twice nationally, in 2016 and 2017. This campaign can be viewed at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/be-clear-on-cancerThe precursor to this campaign centred on one main symptom, that of a persistent cough, as a possible symptom of lung cancer. This lung cancer campaign ran nationally three times, in 2012, 2013 and 2014.The Be Clear on Cancer campaign materials, explain that although lung cancer is more common in smokers, those who have never smoked can also get the disease, including details of the number of people diagnosed with lung cancer each year. The leaflet is available at the following link:https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/46/resources/1744

Mental Illness: Children

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to identify a potential link between perinatal mental illness and emotional and behavioural problems in children.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NHS services to (a) identify and (b) treat perinatal mental illnesses.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential link between perinatal mental illness and emotional and behavioural problems in children.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Chief Medical Officer found in her 2014 annual report, ‘The health of the 51%: women’, that the evidence shows that mental health problems in pregnancy and the first year after birth are experienced by up to 20% of women, and if untreated, this can affect the emotional and reasoning development in their children. Perinatal mental illnesses are associated with risks of negative child outcomes, which can persist into late adolescence and adulthood. These risks are more likely in children of women with chronic mental illness or who are living in poverty. Further information is available in the report which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chief-medical-officer-annual-report-2014-womens-health In addition, the costs of perinatal mental health problems, a 2014 report by the Centre for Mental Health and London School of Economics identified that 72% of the cost of untreated mental illness relates to adverse impact on the child. This report is available at the following link:https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications/costs-of-perinatal-mental-health-problemsThe NHS is implementing its plans to identify and treat more people with perinatal mental illnesses. The NHS Five Year Forward View for Mental Health included a commitment to increase access to perinatal mental health services to an additional 30,000 women by 2020/21. The work is underway to build capacity and capability in specialist perinatal mental health services. In April 2019, NHS England confirmed that new and expectant mothers are now able to access specialist perinatal mental health community services in every part of the country.The NHS Long Term Plan contains an ambition to build on this with a further 24,000 women to be able to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023/24. Specialist care will also be available from preconception to 24 months after birth, which will provide an extra year of support.Public Health England leads on the Improving Prevention and Population Health work stream of the National Health Service Maternity Transformation Programme. One of its priority areas is to reduce the impact of perinatal mental illness. This can be viewed at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/mat-transformation/

Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation on the cost-effectiveness methodology for vaccination programmes.

Seema Kennedy: Although we had hoped to publish the Government’s response to the report of the Committee on Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurement in April, alongside a summary of consultation responses, the Government’s response is still being considered, and a publication date is still to be decided.

Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of vaccination in England.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England monitors trends in vaccine coverage levels and works with NHS England to increase vaccine uptake to offer the best possible protection against vaccine preventable diseases. Coverage for most routine universal childhood vaccination programmes is reported through the COVER (cover of vaccination Evaluated Rapidly) programme. Coverage data can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-programme

Pneumococcal Diseases: Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on public health of changing the dosing schedule for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine from three to two doses.

Seema Kennedy: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that a two-dose schedule for the infant pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Prevenar13 is appropriate for the United Kingdom.The JCVI’s advice was given full consideration, taking into account the potential public health implications, such as impact on cases of pneumococcal disease, before a decision was made to implement it. The decision is based on the effectiveness of the vaccine and years of high uptake, which has helped to provide protection to the rest of the population and has successfully controlled many types of pneumococcal disease in this country.The evidence shows that two doses will sustain the excellent results we have already seen. We are confident that the world-class disease surveillance system we have in this country means our expert committee can closely monitor the impact of this change.

Antibiotics: Drug Resistance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the uptake of (a) new and (b) underused vaccines to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

Seema Kennedy: ‘Contained and controlled: The UK’s 20-year vision for antimicrobial resistance’ recognises the important role of vaccines in tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR).The United Kingdom supports the delivery and uptake of vaccines internationally through UK Aid programmes, including the Global AMR Innovation Fund, the UK Vaccine Network, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Vaccine Action Plan. Through these programmes UK Aid supports initiatives to ensure that all low and middle-income countries have introduced one or more new or underused vaccines by 2020.In addition, our expert advisory committees are considering how vaccines can be better employed to support the control of AMR in the UK.More generally, vaccinations are a key part of the prevention strategy in the NHS Long Term Plan. To help increase immunisation uptake, NHS England will undertake a fundamental review of general practitioner vaccinations and immunisation standards, funding and procurement. This will support the goal of preventing primary and secondary infections.

Cancer

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support local health leaders to address inequalities in the cancer pathway.

Seema Kennedy: Cancer Alliances are leading local transformation of cancer services and outcomes to deliver the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan, which includes actions to reduce health inequalities and ensure every one with cancer can access screening, diagnosis and treatment services. To enable this, Cancer Alliances receive funding to deliver improvement projects, which is adjusted for health need and deprivation of the local population using the clinical commissioning group (CCG) weighted capitation formula.Each Cancer Alliance is regularly provided with data for their Alliance, CCGs and trusts, as well as a comparison with the other Cancer Alliances and an England benchmark. The Cancer Alliance Data, Evidence and Analysis Service is also working with partners to produce inequality breakdowns of key cancer data for Cancer Alliances to use, such as data on smoking prevalence by deprivation quintiles at Cancer Alliance level. This data and analysis enables local system leaders to understand inequalities and target actions to reduce them.

Palliative Care

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the NHS Long Term Plan in achieving the Government’s commitment to end variation in end-of-life care by 2020.

Caroline Dinenage: ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’, published in July 2016, set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality care a reality for all. Since its publication, NHS England has been working to deliver the Choice Commitment, as set out in the Government’s Mandate to the National Health Service. Through its National Programme Board for End of life Care, a range of activity has been coordinated and undertaken with all key system partners care and stakeholders to improve equity of access to, and experience of, palliative and end of life care. A progress report was published the following year on 21 September 2017. Key to reducing variation and delivering personalised care is ensuring that patients are identified as likely to be in their last year of life. This means their end of life care can be improved by personalising it according to their needs and preferences at an earlier stage. However, it is also vital that services are available to provide the care to people in the community and in their homes in a timely way. The Long Term Plan published on 7 January 2019, set out significant investment and activity to drive further improvement in both these areas in support of the Government’s Choice Commitment.

Cancer

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time frame for improving cancer outcomes in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Seema Kennedy: The National Health Service can deliver on the ambitions to improve cancer outcomes within England, set out within the NHS Long Term Plan, by rolling out the interventions set out in the Long Term Plan; reducing variation across the country; ensuring the right workforce is in place and is well supported; and harnessing and quickly adopting research and innovation. Delivery of these actions is underway.

Cancer: Social Security Benefits

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to ensure that the needs of cancer patients are addressed in the benefits system.

Seema Kennedy: There are regular discussions with Cabinet ministers on a wide range of subjects but no specific discussions have taken place on the support for cancer patients within the benefits system.As described in the NHS Long Term Plan, personalised care and support planning is being rolled out across the country, based upon the completion of holistic needs assessment and provision of ongoing support to self-manage their health and wellbeing. This will help ensure that the patient is signposted or referred to community support, including information on financial matters, such as benefits, and psychological support.

Cancer: Health Professions

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to address vacancy rates in the NHS cancer workforce.

Seema Kennedy: Health Education England (HEE) published its Cancer Workforce Plan in December 2017. It was developed in partnership with NHS England and the Five Year Forward View partners and set out a delivery plan that ensures the National Health Service in England has the right numbers of skilled staff to provide high quality care and services to cancer patients at each stage in their care – from accurate early diagnosis and treatment to living with cancer and end of life care.The recommendations from this plan include actions to ensure the NHS have enough staff with the right skills to deliver the funded activity set out in the Cancer Taskforce Strategy by 2021, and focuses on priority professions to do this.HEE is currently piloting its international recruitment programme related to the Cancer Workforce Plan ambitions commencing with clinical radiologists, this will be used with the intention to recruit at least 89 diagnostic radiographers from overseas.Over summer 2019, HEE will work with NHS England, NHS Improvement and other stakeholders, to understand the longer-term workforce implications for further development of cancer services. This will include exploring sustainable growth beyond 2021 in key professions including through continued investment in training places, a greater focus on attracting and retaining students, workforce transformation and improving the numbers of qualified professionals who go on to work in the NHS.

Diabetes: Diagnosis

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of dentists and oral health professionals in supporting the diagnosis of diabetes.

Seema Kennedy: The Department has no knowledge of any assessment or planned assessment into the potential role of dentists and oral health professionals in supporting the diagnosis of diabetes.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution of 8 April 2019, Official Report, column 26, how the system of second opinions on the prescribing of medical cannabis oil will be organised; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution of 8 April 2019, Official Report, column 26, who will be responsible for offering patients a second opinion on prescribing medical cannabis oil.

Seema Kennedy: In line with routine clinical practice, patients wishing to seek a second opinion on the National Health Service will be supported to do so. In the first instance, clinicians should refer patients for a second opinion using their established protocols. If it is not possible to obtain a second or further opinion using established protocols then trusts are instructed to contact their NHS England Regional Medical Director who will be able to offer further advice around a referral route. The NHS England Regional Medical Directors will support trusts in identifying a suitable NHS specialist for a second opinion.

Infant Foods

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) dates, (b) attendees and (c) topics of meetings his Department has had with representatives of the formula milk industry in 2018 and 2019 to date.

Seema Kennedy: The Department has provided details of meetings between Departmental officials with representatives of the formula milk industry. Meetings organised by executive agencies or the Food Standards Agency have not been included. We have not disclosed details of staff attending as they were not Senior Civil Service grade. The information is shown in the following table.DateOrganisationDiscussion26 February 2018NestlePresentation on action on sustainable diets26 March 2018NestlePhone call25 April 2018Danone and NutricaEarly Years Nutrition Partnership6 June 2018British Specialist Nutrition Association (BSNA), Nestle, NutricaNotifications for Foods for Special Medical Purposes22 June 2018NestlePlanning for visit4 July 2018NestleVisit11 July 2018DanoneAptamil30 July 2018DanoneChildhood Obesity Chapter 214 August 2018NestleChildhood Obesity Chapter 222 August 2018BSNAPhone meeting10 September 2018Danone and NestleAdvertising roundtable14 November 2018BSNANutrition legislation meeting15 November 2019DanoneReformulation, Brexit pressure, and Chapter22 November 2019BSNAForthcoming CODEX CCNFSDU40

Mental Health Services: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made on the number of mental health beds that are currently available in West Lancashire.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information on the number of mental health beds is not held at constituency level. The average number of consultant-led, overnight, mental illness beds available in Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust is 518 as at Q3 2018/19.Note:Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust (RW5) is used as an indication of consultant-led mental illness beds available in West LancashireSource: KH03 NHS England and NHS Improvementhttps://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/

Health Services: Children and Young People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Children and Young People's Transformation Programme in the NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, if he will publish the timeframe for the implementation of the essential paediatric Workforce implementation plan; and take steps to ensure that the workforce implementation plan will be funded from the public health budget.

Stephen Hammond: The National Health Service budget will increase by £33.9 billion in cash terms, the equivalent of £20.5 billion in real terms by 2023/24, reflecting the fact that the NHS is the Government’s top spending priority.The NHS Long Term Plan prioritises services for children and young people. It provides a clear focus on improving the health of children and young people across mental health, learning disabilities, cancer and elsewhere. It is critical in prioritising services for children and young people in future, and it will continue to influence the wider issues that impact on children’s health. Creation of a Transformation Programme for Children and Young People will provide an improved strategic and coordinated response to meet the diverse needs of children and young people.My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has asked Baroness Harding to take forward the development of a People Plan, as part of the overall implementation plan for the Long Term Plan, in order to ensure the challenges of supply, reform, culture and leadership can be met. This will sit alongside the broader Implementation Plan that will be developed at all levels to make the Long Term Plan a reality. An interim People Plan will be published this spring and a full plan will be published within two months of the conclusion of the Spending Review.

Health and Care Professions Council: Fees and Charges

Peter Heaton-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) discussions he has had with representatives of the Health and Care Professions Council and (b) representations his Department has received on the potential effects on health professionals of that organisation's decision to increase registration fees.

Stephen Hammond: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has many discussions with stakeholders across the health and care sector. I have written to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) asking it to consider the impact of its proposed fee rise on part-time workers, which was raised by hon. Members at a Westminster Hall Debate held on 14 March 2019. The HCPC responded to this letter on 1 May, explaining the practical difficulties and potential perverse incentives of introducing differential fees for part-time workers.A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified 79 items of correspondence received since 24 September 2018 about the HCPC’s decision to increase registration fees. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only. In addition to this, the Department has received nine Written Parliamentary Questions on this matter, and engaged with hon. Members at a Westminster Hall Debate on the proposed HCPC fee rise on 14 March 2019. The HCPC is independent of Government and funded by registrants’ fees on a cost recovery basis.

Health Services and Social Services: Vacancies

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of workforce vacancies in the health and social care sectors.

Stephen Hammond: Posts may be vacant, for a variety of reasons including maternity and career breaks. Trusts make decisions based on local needs about how they fill these posts, including looking at short-term options for cover, including bank and agency staff.Since April 2017, NHS Improvement collect vacancy rates of National Health Service staff from individual NHS trusts and publish them as part of their ‘Quarterly performance of the NHS provider sector’ report found at the following link:https://improvement.nhs.uk/documents/4942/Performance_of_the_NHS_provider_sector_for_the_quarter_ended_31_Dec_2018.pdfAs at 31 December there were 100,521 full time equivalent vacancies in NHS trusts, this is an 8.4% vacancy rate. Of these, approximately 80% and 85% of the nursing and medical vacancies are being filled by bank and agency staff.Skills for Care estimate that there are approximately 110,000 jobs that are vacant in adult social scare, this is an 8% vacancy rate.The NHS People Plan sets out the next step in our mission to make the NHS a world class employer and deliver the workforce which the NHS needs.

Health Services: Rural Areas

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of patients' preferences and needs in determining the proximity of the provision of hospital services in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with health trusts on maintaining adequate, locally-provided hospital services in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: Views on patients’ preferences around the proximity of hospital services are not collected nationally. However, individual clinical commissioning groups may consult with patients on such matters as part of their patient participation and engagement work.The Department has not held discussions with health trusts on maintaining adequate, locally-provided hospital services in rural areas. However, the NHS Long Term Plan confirms that a standard model of delivery will be developed for use in smaller acute hospitals who serve rural populations.

Opiates: Misuse

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2019 to Question 247598, on opioids: misuse, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of monitoring dependence and addiction rates in relation to commonly prescribed opioids; and if he will make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: No assessment has been made of the potential merits of monitoring dependence and addiction rates in relation to commonly prescribed opioids.Public Health England is undertaking a public health evidence review of available data and published evidence on the problems associated with some prescribed medicines, including dependence and withdrawal, including opioids. The review is due to report in summer 2019.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has any plans to make the Free Fruit and Vegetable Scheme available to all school children in England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme provides children in Key Stage 1 attending state-funded primary schools with one free portion of fruit or vegetable every school day. There are no current plans to extend the Scheme.

Cervical Cancer

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the approval of the use of Pembrolizumab for the treatment of cervical cancer given in line with its usage in the Republic of Ireland and the USA; and when that drug will be made available to people with cervical cancer.

Seema Kennedy: Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was licensed on 12 June 2018 by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer with disease progression on or after chemotherapy.However, pembrolizumab is not licensed for the treatment of cervical cancer in the United Kingdom or in the European Union. To obtain a licence for this indication, the Marketing Authorisation Holder of Keytruda (Merck Sharp & Dohme B.V.) would need to submit an ‘extension of indication’ application to the European Medicines Agency including evidence of safety and efficacy.

Gambling

Richard Graham: What steps he is taking to improve support and treatment for people with a gambling addiction.

Matt Hancock: We want to reduce gambling-related harm, protect the vulnerable and make sure that those experiencing problems are getting the help they need. The NHS Long Term Plan set out our commitment to invest in expanding National Health Service specialist clinics to help more people with serious gambling problems.

NHS

Rehman Chishti: What steps he is taking to secure the long-term future of the NHS.

Matt Hancock: We are increasing the National Health Service budget by £33.9 billion in cash terms over the next five years. This major investment will support the NHS to continue to deliver world class care. The NHS Long Term Plan has set out a vision for the NHS, ensuring that every penny is well spent.

Department for International Development

Tranexamic Acid

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the outcome was of her discussions with the UN and NGO partners on improving access to tranexamic acid for women with post-partum haemorrhage.

Harriett Baldwin: Discussions on improving access to tranexamic acid for women with post-partum haemorrhage continue. It is unacceptable that 830 mothers still die in pregnancy and childbirth every day. Tranexamic acid is a powerful tool to manage the severe bleeding that causes many of these deaths. We are supporting the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition – a network of over 500 private corporations, NGOs and donors – to look specifically at the barriers to scaling up use of this important drug.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s priorities are for the replenishment period and strategy review with Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is delighted to be hosting the Gavi Replenishment in 2020. Gavi has immunised over 700 million children, saving 10 million lives from preventable diseases. The UK is proud to have played a significant role in delivering these extraordinary results. As hosts of the Replenishment Conference, our priority will be to help Gavi secure the funding it needs to further deliver its life-saving work. The replenishment period is also a terrific opportunity to demonstrate the impact of the UK’s contribution to Gavi for the world’s poorest and to recognise the extraordinary work done by British innovators, academics and health advocates to support Gavi’s mission. The next strategic period for Gavi is critically important and the UK will continue to press for further improvements. This includes promoting equitable coverage of immunisation to leave no-one behind and ensure vaccines are available for the most vulnerable. The UK will also prioritise ensuring our investment in Gavi is sustainable and delivers maximum value for money by supporting countries to effectively transition from Gavi support to increased domestic funding.

Developing Countries: Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to provide marginalised children with access to vaccines.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK believes all children should have access to lifesaving vaccines, no matter where they live. Equitable vaccine coverage is therefore a key priority for the UK’s support for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This investment provides immunisation to the poorest children in 68 of the world’s poorest countries. Gavi will vaccinate an additional 76 million children by 2020, preventing 1.4 million deaths from vaccine preventable diseases. As well as providing support to strengthen the overall health system, Gavi focuses on improving access and equity by identifying the populations and geographical areas most likely to be under immunised and at risk of outbreaks. Gavi have also adapted their model to include a Fragility, Emergency and Refugees policy which provides a more quick and flexible response in fragile countries. This has helped reach unimmunised children in places like Syria and in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. As a Gavi Board member, the UK advocates for equitable coverage as a core priority both now and in the future strategy.

Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is taking steps to promote competition in the vaccines market.

Harriett Baldwin: Healthy vaccine markets are essential to provide adequate supplies of vaccines at affordable prices for poor countries. This, in turn, improves availability and drives demand for immunisation. The UK supports healthy vaccine market competition through our investment in Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. A core part of Gavi’s mission is to promote competition and reduce the cost of vaccines. Gavi now supports 17 manufacturers to provide critical vaccines at a lower cost. Many of these manufacturers are now based in low and middle income countries. This has successfully generated over US$764 million in cost savings in 2017 alone and has reduced the cost of immunising a child by 17% since 2016. The UK also supports Gavi’s Advanced Market Commitment for Pneumococcal Vaccines (AMC), an innovative approach to fostering market competition. By incentivising investment in research and development in the pneumococcal vaccine, the AMC has expanded manufacturing capacity and helped develop a healthy pipeline for vaccine production. This has helped enable 143 million children in 58 countries to be vaccinated against severe pneumonia.

Vaccination: Prices

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase price transparency for vaccines.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK recognises the importance of providing affordable vaccines for the poorest nations. Through UK support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the price of common childhood vaccines has reduced by 17% since 2016. Bringing down vaccine prices is part of a wider strategy in Gavi to increase access to vaccines and our significant investment supports global initiatives to increase vaccine transparency and help ensure their affordability. Gavi helps secure the lowest price for vaccines for 68 of the world’s poorest countries. Gavi procures its vaccines through UNICEF, which makes public its historic, current and future prices for vaccines. For countries who are not eligible for Gavi-subsidised vaccines, the UK also advocates and supports its partners to make prices publicly available online. This helps establish benchmark prices so countries can negotiate better deals. Outside of Gavi supported countries, the UK is supportive of the World Health Organisation’s Global Strategy and Plan of Action and Roadmap for Access to Medicines. These plans help increase global price transparency whist also encouraging innovation that is crucial for future vaccine development.

Zimbabwe: Disaster Relief

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, in addition to recently announced humanitarian assistance, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the immediate and the long-term development needs in Zimbabwe are met after Cyclone Idai.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK has committed £2.45 million which will go towards supporting water and sanitation, child protection and cash grants in cyclone affected areas. In addition UK will continue to focus on poverty reduction, humanitarian assistance including helping people to cope with pre-existing drought and economic crisis. In addition to the recently announced humanitarian assistance, UK Aid operates an extensive programme in Zimbabwe, working to support the poorest and most vulnerable as well as at the same time helping lay the foundations for a more prosperous, peaceful and democratic Zimbabwe, driving growth and poverty reduction. DFID’s priorities in Zimbabwe are:Strengthening peace, democracy, and good governancePromoting economic reform and prosperityStrengthening resilience and responding to crisesSupporting basic services for the poorest and most vulnerable

Zimbabwe: Disaster Relief

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support climate change resilience programes in Zimbabwe after Cyclone Idai.

Harriett Baldwin: UK Aid supports climate change resilience in 30 of Zimbabwe’s 59 rural districts. The UK is helping over a million people to cope with the effects of climate change through the adoption of more climate-resilient agricultural practices, diversifying livelihoods, and developing plans and policies for climate resilience.

Developing Countries: Clothing

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of working with her international counterparts to create a standardised code of conduct and expectations for garment factories in developing countries; and if she will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID is committed to improving conditions in garments factories, including those which supply clothing to UK stores, through a range of multi-national initiatives, including those to improve codes of conduct. These initiatives include:the £30 million Responsible Accountable Transparent Enterprise programme which works through the Ethical Trading Initiative and United Nation’s Global Compact to support the development and implementation of standards and codes, including for the garment sector specifically;the Bangladesh “Sustainability Compact” which commits the Government of Bangladesh, the European Union, the United States, Canada and the International Labour Organisation to improve labour rights, building safety, health and safety, and responsible business conduct; andDFID co-hosting of ‘The Fair Fashion in Africa’ event on 2 May to explore further opportunities to help female garment workers in Africa access quality jobs that support their economic empowerment.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the is Government taking to support Commonwealth governments to establish universal health coverage systems to ensure that children do not die from preventable diseases.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is a strong advocate for the achievement of universal health coverage to ensure child survival, through strengthening health systems. DFID provides technical assistance and financial support directly to countries, including Commonwealth governments. The UK invests around £1 billion per year through bilateral aid programmes in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health, and our support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has contributed to the safe vaccination of over 700 million children.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department has allocated to the promotion of universal health coverage in developing countries.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 April 2019 to Question 241478.

Israel: Palestinians

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2019 to Question 236490, what comparative assessment she has made of whether the Palestinian Authority prisoner payment system is equivalent to conventional welfare payments.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK Government deplores any act of violence or incitement to violence. The UK government does not consider the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) prisoner payments system to be equivalent to conventional welfare payments. The UK government acknowledges that people in need are entitled to access support that is based on objective social need. For this reason we continue to press the PA to make the prisoner payments system more needs based, transparent and affordable. UK Ministers have raised this personally with the Palestinian Foreign Minister, and officials raised this with the PA at senior levels most recently on 28 March 2019. No UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners or their families.

Department for International Development: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2019 to Question 245944 on Department for International Development: Wales, how many organisations based in Wales bid for (a) contracts and (b) grants from her Department in the 2018-19 fiscal year.

Harriett Baldwin: In 2018-19, two companies registered in Wales bid for DFID’s International Multi-Disciplinary Programme (IMDP) framework contract. DFID is undertaking a schedule of regional Open for Business events across the country to help local businesses make the most of opportunities to deliver UK aid. An Open for Business event took place in Cardiff last year and was attended by 52 Welsh companies. These events are an opportunity for two-way communication to encourage companies to compete for DFID business to share their vital skills and expertise and understand the simplified process for contract applications.

Developing Countries: Nature Conservation

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of using UK Official Development Assistance to help protect endangered species.

Harriett Baldwin: Ministers from my department, the FCO and Defra have met to plan the Government’s response to tackling the illegal wildlife trade. DFID is now providing funding to the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, the Global Wildlife Programme and a range of forestry programmes to protect endangered species.

Department for International Development: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2019 to Question 245944, on Department for International Development, Wales, how many companies based in each region and nation of the UK secured contracts from her Department in (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19; and what the value of each contract was.

Harriett Baldwin: In 2017-2018, 95% of awarded contracts were to companies based in England with 5% going to companies based in Scotland. In 2018-19, 97% of awarded contracts were to companies based in England with 3% going to companies based in Scotland. DFID is undertaking a schedule of regional Open for Business events across the country to help local businesses make the most of opportunities to deliver UK aid. Last year we held ‘Open for Business’ events in Birmingham, Leeds, London and Cardiff, Belfast, Newcastle and Edinburgh which were attended by over 600 business people. These events are an opportunity for two-way communication to encourage companies to compete for DFID business to share their vital skills and expertise and understand the simplified process for contract applications.

Pakistan: Vaccination

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the spread of anti-vaccine misinformation in Pakistan.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is deeply concerned about the spread of anti-vaccine misinformation in Pakistan and its potential to undermine the hard-fought gains that have been made in protecting children from vaccine preventable diseases. We are tackling this misinformation through our strong support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. These organisations use a range of tools to monitor this – including population surveys, media and social media monitoring and through community dialogue. Through GPEI and their local implementing partner UNICEF, the UK is contributing to the appointment of a new social media team working to address the causes of polio vaccination hesitancy and refusal in Pakistan. Furthermore, UNICEF, through their support from Gavi and the UK, assisted the development of an Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization Strategy for the Government of Pakistan to support immunisation activities.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Official Development Assistance her Department plans to allocate to Ethiopia in 2019.

Harriett Baldwin: The 2019/2020 budget for DFID Ethiopia is £292 million. This will support the delivery of essential health, education, climate resilient, water and sanitation, and humanitarian services, as well as support Ethiopia to become a more prosperous, climate resilient and stable nation that can graduate from aid in the future.

Department for Education

GCE A Level

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils who (a) were and (b) were not eligible for pupil premium in their last year of compulsory secondary school (i) entered at least one A level, (ii) achieved three or more A-levels, (iii) achieved grades ABB or better at A level, and (iv) achieved A*A*A or better at A-level in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes student’s achievements in A levels, in different grade combinations, split by characteristics. This information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results-2017-to-2018-revised. Table 1, attached below uses this data to provide the number[1] of students entering at least one A level[2] and those who achieved A*/A*/A, A/B/B and E/E/E[3],[4],[5] or better, split by their disadvantaged status[6] at the end of key stage 4. Figures are based on 2017/18[7] revised data, for students in state-funded schools and colleges. The Department does not publish estimates of the proportion of key stage 4 disadvantaged pupils who go on to enter and achieve these different A level combinations by the end of 16-18 study. However, an estimate can be derived by comparing the published numbers to the size of the disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged groups from two years previously in 2016. These are shown in table 2, attached. [1] The cohort of students is based on those who are eligible for inclusion in the AAB measure, however this is further restricted (see footnote 2). Inclusion in the AAB measure refers to those who entered at least one full size A level, excluding applied A levels (this includes double award A levels, but does not include AS levels, general studies or critical thinking)). If students are entered for less than three full size A levels, they are only included in the measure if they have not entered for other academic, applied general and tech level qualifications greater than or equal to the size of an A level. Where a student has only been at a provider for one year, they need to have entered three A levels to be included.[2] This includes A level entries only (excludes double awards, AS levels and Applied A levels); it excludes general studies and critical thinking.[3] Each student's total grades are taken and compared to the requested groupings. Inclusion in each group occurs when the student has the exact grades, or when three (or more) of their grades match or are higher than the required grades. Therefore, students with only 1 or 2 grades are excluded as they do not match or beat all three required grades. These figures will differ slightly from measures published for all students nationally, due to this slight methodological difference.[4] Only includes students with pass grades (A* to E). Discounting has been applied in line with performance tables methodology (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores).[5] The E/E/E combination identifies those who achieved 3 or more A levels as an E grade is the lowest passing grade.[6] Students disadvantaged status is taken from the census recorded completed in their final year of key stage 4 year study. Students who completed their key stage 4 study in independent schools will not have been included in the census and are grouped as 'unknown disadvantaged status'.[7] Based on students who finished their 16 to 18 study in 2017/18. Covers results achieved during all years of 16-18 study (up to three years, i.e. the 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 academic years).



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Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National Audit Office report, The apprenticeships programme, published on 6 March 2019, HC 1987, what assessment he has made of the future financial sustainability of the apprenticeship levy; and if he will make a statement.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the future financial sustainability of the apprenticeship levy; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The apprenticeship levy is collected by HM Revenue and Customs from all UK employers with a pay bill above £3 million.Separately, HM Treasury have set the Department for Education a budget for apprenticeships in England for the current Spending Review period (to 2019-20). This budget is distinct from the levy and is not dependent on receipts from the levy. This budget is used to fund new apprenticeship starts for both levy and non-levy paying employers and must also cover the ongoing costs of apprentices that are already in training. In 2019-20 funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England is over £2.5 billion, double what was spent in 2010-11.Currently, we expect to remain within budget in this spending review period to the end of the 2019-20 financial year. A detailed breakdown of spending for 2018-19 will be published in the Education and Skills Funding Agency Annual Report and Accounts.The level of funding for the apprenticeship programme beyond 2019-20 will be determined by the forthcoming Spending Review.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2019 to Question 243426, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of levy funds in employers’ accounts that will (a) expire and (b) be spent on apprenticeships before they expire; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Levy-paying employers have up to 24 months from the point at which funds enter their account to spend the funds available. The 24 month expiry period is designed to give employers time to develop their apprenticeship programmes whilst encouraging employers to take action to create new apprenticeship opportunities. Funds will only expire on a month by month basis from May 2019 if an employer has spent less on apprenticeship training and assessment in the past 2 years than the amount that went into their account in May 2017.We do not anticipate that all levy-payers will use all the funds in their accounts, though they are able to. Income from the levy is used to fund apprenticeship training for both levy paying and non-levy paying employers.Levy-paying employers are now able to transfer up to 25% of the annual value of their levy funds to other employers.In May 2019, the 24-month expiry date will be reached for the earliest declared levy funds. We forecast that when the first ‘expiry’ period arrives in May, approximately £12 million pounds will remain unspent, representing 9% of the total levy funding that employers collectively paid in April 2017.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeships there are in non-levy paying businesses; what other Government programmes will be funded by expired apprenticeship levy funds; and if he will make a statement.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeship starts have been funded by unspent employer levy funds in (a) 2018 and (b) to the end of March 2019.

Anne Milton: In the first half of 2018/19 academic year there have been 214,200 apprenticeship starts reported to date. Of these, 105,700 (49%) starts have been directly supported by funds from levy payer’s apprenticeship service accounts. There have also been 108,500 (51%) starts which have not been supported directly by levy funds, and the majority of these starts will be with non levy-paying employers.We publish data on apprenticeship starts on a monthly basis at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr.In the 2019-20 financial year, the annual funding allocated to the Department for Education for apprenticeships in England is over £2.5 billion. This funding is distinct from levy receipts and is used to fund new apprenticeship starts for both levy and non-levy paying employers, and to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices that are already in training. It is therefore not possible to provide data on how many apprenticeship starts have been funded by unspent employer levy funds as all apprenticeship starts are funded from the Department for Education’s budget. At present, there are no plans to spend expired levy funds on programmes other than apprenticeships.

Apprentices

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has received representations from employers on the effect of the 20 per cent off-the-job training standard on delivering apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: The requirement for a minimum of 20% off-the-job training is an important quality requirement and one of the core, longstanding principles of an apprenticeship.We work with employer representative bodies to ensure policy and funding rules are well understood and to gain insight into how apprenticeships are being delivered. There are a number of employers represented on our Apprenticeships Stakeholder Board where the off-the-job training has been discussed. The effect of the 20% off-the-job training standard is frequently raised with me when I meet businesses.We have recently issued updated off-the-job training guidance and products to support employers, training providers and apprentices to understand what good off-the-job training looks like and the benefits of it. These were developed in response to employer feedback and were tested with stakeholders prior to publication.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2019 to Question 243426 on apprenticeships: Taxation, what steps his Department is taking to increase the amount of apprenticeship levy funds that employers are using; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: We continue to work with levy-paying employers to make sure that they can make the most of the opportunities that our reforms present, and we’ve responded to their feedback. In April 2019, we increased the amount that levy-payers can transfer to smaller employers or other organisations from 10 to 25% of their funds each year, helping them use their levy funds to support apprenticeship starts in their supply chain or meet local skills shortages.The number of employer-designed apprenticeship standards available now stands at 440, giving employers more choice than ever and allowing them to spend their levy funds to develop the skills they need.Since April 2016, we have provided ongoing face-to-face support for over 1,100 of the largest levy-paying employers through our national account managers. Since April 2018, we have extended support over the phone to a further 3,500 large levy-paying employers. Our support focuses on helping these businesses to build large-scale, high-quality programmes that deliver a return on their investment.We have also led a major awareness-raising campaign among the remaining levy-paying employers, raising awareness of the opportunity to utilise their investment and helping them understand how to use transfers.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the proportion of employer apprenticeship levy funds that will be used in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 and (d) 2022; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Since 2017, we have introduced substantial changes to the apprenticeship funding system that make it challenging to predict the proportion of levy funds that will be used this year and over the next few years. The apprenticeships system is now employer-led and so employers can choose which apprenticeships they offer and when. This means that the use of levy funds is a matter for individual employers. We do not expect employers to use all of their levy funds, but they are able to. The provider and employer market continues to adapt to the reforms to the apprenticeships system that were made in 2017. We have also made additional changes to funding policy this year, increasing the cap on transfers from 10% to 25% and are reducing co-investment for small employers from 10% to 5%. The effect of these changes on behaviour will only become apparent in the future. In combination, these factors mean that it is not possible to make a single reliable estimate of future levy usage. When the reforms were designed, we estimated that employers would use around half of the levy funds available to them, on average, once the changes to the apprenticeships programme had bedded in. However, levy-paying employers have taken on fewer starts and used a smaller proportion of their levy funds than anticipated. Nevertheless, we expect employers to use an increasing proportion of their levy funds as they continue to develop their use of apprenticeships, and as a consequence of employers choosing more higher-cost, higher-level apprenticeships since 2017. The forthcoming Spending Review, announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer at Spring Statement, will determine the level of funding for the apprenticeship programme from April 2020. As part of this process we will consider any changes that may be required to future funding arrangements, and the impact this might have on employers’ use of their levy funds. Until then it is not possible to estimate employers’ use of their levy funds from 2020 onwards.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department made before the introduction of the apprenticeship levy of the (a) proportion of apprenticeship levy funds that employers would use, (b) number of apprenticeships that would be delivered and (c) amount of employer apprenticeship levy funds that would be unspent between 2017 and 2019; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: In forecasts made before the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, it was anticipated that employers would use 13% of the levy funds available to them in the 2017-18 financial year. Data from the apprenticeship service show that employers used 9% (£191m) of the funds available to them in 2017-18.Our annual budgets for the current Spending Review period (to the end of the 2019-20 financial year) were set to fund 3 million high quality apprenticeship starts by 2020, based on the mix of training levels and subjects that we expected employers to choose.The apprenticeship levy helps to fund all apprenticeships for levy and non levy-paying employers. At the time that the levy was introduced, it was anticipated that a proportion of levy funds would remain unspent by employers. We have anticipated that employers will not use all the funds available to them, though they are able to.The annual apprenticeships budget, set in advance by HM Treasury, is not dependent on levy receipts and must fund all learners in the system. When allocating this budget to fund apprenticeships, we included sufficient flexibility to accommodate variations in the level of employer demand.

Apprentices

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the Government’s progress on delivering three million apprenticeships by 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: In 2015 we set an ambitious goal of 3 million high quality apprenticeships by 2020 and that remains our ambition, but we will not sacrifice quality to meet this figure. We have introduced a wide range of reforms to apprenticeships to improve their quality and to encourage employers across England to increase the number of apprenticeships that they offer.There have been 1,709,500 apprenticeship starts in England between May 2015 and January 2019.We regularly report on progress toward the target in our apprenticeships and traineeships publications, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships.To support all employers to make the long-term, sustainable investment in training, in April 2019 we halved the co-investment rate from 10% to 5% for new starts and have increased the amount that levy-paying employers can transfer to other employers from 10% to 25%.We are working to raise awareness of apprenticeships across the country and the benefits that they bring to both employers and apprentices. Our ‘Fire It Up’ communication campaign seeks to change the way that people think about apprenticeships and to demonstrate that apprenticeships are an aspirational choice for anyone.

Apprentices

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the importance of Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeships in delivering three million apprenticeships by 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Our reforms allow employers to choose the type, quality, level and frequency of apprenticeships that they offer in order to meet their current and future skills needs.Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships play an important role in meeting these needs as well as providing valuable opportunities for individuals. Apprenticeships at these levels still account for the vast majority of apprenticeship starts. For example, in the first half of 2018/19, there were nearly 175,000 starts at levels 2 and 3, which represents 82% of total starts for the period.There are now 440 industry-designed standards, of which 269 are at levels 2 and 3, meaning there are apprenticeship opportunities at all levels. During the first half of 2018/19, nearly 60% of starts were on these new standards. We can see that employers are moving quickly to this new higher quality offer.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria his Department is using to assess the performance of the apprenticeship levy; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: We have implemented a range of reforms to ensure more high quality apprenticeship opportunities, including the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, new funding system and industry-designed standards. Our reforms are still relatively recent and it will take time for the full benefits of the apprenticeships programme to be realised.Our apprenticeships reform programme benefits realisation strategy, published in March 2017, sets out a broad range of performance measures for the programme. Measures include the number of apprenticeship starts, earnings upon completion, results from employer and learner surveys and the Further Education (FE) Skills Index, which is a measure of the productivity impact of the programme over time.The Skills Index enables us to compare the value of skills investments across the FE sector, including apprenticeships. The Skills Index looks at the number of learners and the employment rate for those learners as well as expected additional earnings. We have added a value of 2% to apprenticeships between the 2016/17 and 2017/18 academic years which we attribute to an increased volume of advanced and higher apprenticeship achievers as well as a small shift towards sectors with higher wage returns.We publish annual updates against our progress. Our last update, published on 30 April 2019, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-reform-programme-benefits-realisation-strategy.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2019 to Question 243420, what data the Government uses to determine the number of (a) apprenticeships delivered in each sector and (b) apprenticeship levy funded apprenticeships delivered in each sector; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Education and Skills Funding Agency does not require levy-paying employers to document their industry sector when registering an apprenticeship service account, neither does it require employers who do not pay the levy to register an industry sector before training their apprentices.For the period covering the 2012/13 to 2016/17 academic years, the Department for Education used the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) matched with the Inter-Departmental Business Register to determine the number of apprenticeship starts in each industry sector. This information is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics. Figures for the 2017/18 academic year are planned to be published in Autumn 2019.The department also uses data from the apprenticeship service and the ILR to obtain figures on the number of levy and non-levy supported apprenticeship starts broken down by apprenticeship sector subject area. The latest statistics covering sector subject area breakdowns for apprenticeship starts are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the apprenticeship levy is being spent on MBA or equivalent qualifications.

Anne Milton: Successful completion of the level 7 Senior Leader standard may lead to either of the three qualifications: MA, MSc or MBA. The total percentage spend by both levy and non-levy employers on the level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeship standard for the past 2 financial years is below:  YearStandardPercentage2017-18 Senior Leader level 7 Standard0.02%2018-19*Senior Leader level 7 Standard0.51%  TOTAL : 0.28%*2018-19 is provisional data. The figures are based on the number of all apprenticeship starts for the level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeship standard by levy and non-levy employers against total apprenticeship spend for both financial years.Details of the Senior Leader standard can be found on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s website at: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/senior-leader/.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the highest amount is of apprenticeship levy funds that an employer can spend for a single apprenticeship.

Anne Milton: The new 30-band funding structure was introduced on 1 August 2018 for all new apprenticeship starts. Details can be found within ‘Apprenticeship Funding in England’ published on GOV.UK, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/788312/Apprenticeship_funding_in_England_from_April_2019.pdf.These bands range from £1,500 to £27,000 and set the maximum price that the government will contribute towards the training and assessment for an individual apprenticeship.The funding band upper limit of £27,000 is the maximum amount of government funds that levy-paying employers can draw down from their apprenticeship service accounts to put towards the cost of an individual apprenticeship.For non-levy-paying employers, at least 95% of the apprenticeship training and assessment costs will be paid for by the government, up to the agreed funding band limit.We know that some employers will wish to use specific delivery models or provide additional training to their apprentices, which goes beyond what is set out in the standard. Employers are free to agree a price above the funding band upper limit but must pay for any additional costs above this.

Teachers: Females

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will estimate the cost of equalising widows’ and children’s pension benefits for female teachers who served prior to 6 April 1988.

Nick Gibb: This Department has not made an estimate of the costs of equalising widowers’ and children’s pension benefits.As part of the Government’s review of survivor benefits in occupational pension schemes in 2014, the Government Actuary’s Department estimated the expected additional cost for public service schemes if scheme benefits were retrospectively enhanced. The review looked at all survivor benefits, for example those for civil partners, same-sex married couples and widowers. It was estimated that the total cost would be in the region of £2.9 billion across the public sector, which equates to £600 million for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. Included in the £600 million figure is an immediate payment in relation to those who are already in receipt of a survivor pension of approximately £200 million.

Schools: Counselling

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2019 to Question 233483 on Schools: Counselling, what steps he is taking to (a) set minimum standards for and (b) ensure access throughout England to school counselling services.

Nick Gibb: It is up to schools to decide what counselling support to provide. The ‘Counselling in Schools’ guidance referred to in the previous answer, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools, provides detailed advice on the benefits that counselling can bring to a school and how to provide access to safe and effective services. It gives strong advice that, when commissioning external counselling, schools should look to use providers that can give assurance the counsellor is properly trained, supported, professionally supervised, insured and working within agreed policy frameworks and standards, and accountable to a professional body with a clearly articulated complaints procedure. It also sets out that where schools employ their own counsellor, they should employ staff with a minimum of a diploma in counselling (typically two years part time study), who are on a voluntary register that has been accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, and ideally hold accreditation with a professional body.

Primary Education: Assessments

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have applied to participate in the pilot test of reception baseline assessment in the Autumn term of 2019-20.

Nadhim Zahawi: The next stage in the reception baseline assessment development process is a large-scale voluntary pilot, commencing in September 2019. Schools were able to sign up to take part in the pilot from 1 March to 5 April 2019. We have received a very good response; we intend to publish the number of schools that have applied to participate in the pilot in the near future.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the level of per pupil funding for each child in (a) primary and (b) secondary education in Warrington in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much per pupil funding was spent on each student over 16 and in full-time education in Warrington in each year since 2010.

Anne Milton: 16 to 19 funding is based on a national funding formula with a standard base rate of £4,000 for a full-time 16 or 17 year old student, and additional funding related to the characteristics of students and their learning programmes. This formula has operated since 2013/14. A different national funding formula operated before that, but the figures for the 2 are not consistent.The average 16 to 19 funding per student for institutions in Warrington is shown below:YearAverage Funding Per Student2013/14£4,5472014/15£4,4462015/16£4,4412016/17£4,4392017/18£4,4412018/19£4,383 The table is based on formula funding per student derived from annual allocations covering 16 to 19 provision, to institutions based in Warrington (excluding special schools). Further funding is provided through student support, for high needs provision and from 2018/19 onwards the industry placement capacity and delivery fund.Note that this figure includes both full- and part-time students as we do not allocate funding separately for these 2 groups. The vast majority of 16-19 year old students are full-time.

Special Educational Needs: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much high needs funding was allocated to Warrington in each year since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: Local authorities are required to provide schools with sufficient funds to enable schools to meet the additional cost of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, up to the value of £6,000. This funding comes from the schools’ block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG). When the costs of additional support required for a pupil with SEN exceed £6,000, the local authority should also allocate additional top-up funding to cover the excess costs. This top-up funding, and funding for special schools comes from the local authority’s high needs budget. In December 2018, we announced an additional £250 million in high needs funding up to 2020, bringing Warrington’s total high needs funding to £20.278 million in 2019-20. In 2013, the schools and high needs budgets within the DSG were created. As the DSG includes other budgets such as the early years budget, the department is unable to provide comparable figures before 2013-14. The schools and high needs allocations for Warrington since 2013-14 can be found at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2013-to-2014https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2014-to-2015https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-2016https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2016-to-2017https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2019-to-2020

Adult Education: Admissions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of students enrolling in adult education in each year since 2010.

Anne Milton: We recognise that participation in adult (19+) further education has decreased. The latest full year statistics are published on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr. We are considering adult skills more widely as a department and will therefore be considering trends in the take-up of adult education as part of this. In addition, we are looking carefully at further education funding in preparation for the Spending Review. We are considering how effective our funding and regulatory structures are in supporting high quality provision, and in line with the aims of the Post-18 Review, to ensure a coherent vision for further and higher education.

Overseas Students: EU Nationals

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether non-UK EU students will be able to take out loans with the Students Loans Company after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Skidmore: We recognise how important it is that students and institutions have information on eligibility for student support before applications for courses open.Applications for courses starting in academic year 2020/21 do not open until September 2019. Eligibility and fee arrangements for prospective EU students who apply for tuition fee loans and student finance support in that academic year via the Student Loans Company is under consideration.

Outdoor Education

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring that the national curriculum includes outdoor learning on the natural environment.

Nick Gibb: Outdoor education can play an important role for many subjects in the school curriculum. It can include cultural trips, environmental and countryside education, science and geography fieldwork, and visits to museums and heritage sites. For some subjects such as biology and geography, fieldwork is a part of the national curriculum and a requirement of GCSE subject content. In recognition of these benefits, the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, published in January 2018, included £10 million funding from the Department to help more children from disadvantaged backgrounds to have contact with nature. The Government does not prescribe how schools should teach or what outdoor activities they should offer. They have the freedom to plan and deliver curricula that meet the educational needs and interests of their pupils, provided they meet any statutory requirements.

Food: Curriculum

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the department for Education, whether his Department plans to introduce food insecurity into the school curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to addressing food insecurity, particularly for children. Our eligibility criteria for free school meals support children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds by providing a free and healthy school meal each day. Including food insecurity in the National Curriculum is a recommendation arising from the Children’s Future Food Inquiry. We welcome this report and will reflect carefully on it over the coming months and consider how we can best respond to the important issues raised. The National Curriculum on design and technology in secondary schools covers cooking, emphasising the importance of this as a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well. The National Curriculum for citizenship in secondary schools sets out that teaching should prepare pupils to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions, and plan for future financial needs. From primary school through to secondary, the mathematics National Curriculum covers money and how mathematics is necessary for financial literacy.

Ministry of Justice

Birmingham Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement of 2 April 2019, Official Report HCWS1475 on HMP Birmingham, what the costs to the public purse would be of the public sector providing the quality of service referred to in the Statement; and where that explanation has been published.

Edward Argar: The information referred to in the Written Statement relates to the competition to operate the new prisons at Wellingborough and Glen Parva, Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service has provided a ‘public sector benchmark’, against which potential operators’ bids will be rigorously assessed. For the Wellingborough competition, this work has already been undertaken and has informed the specification and affordability threshold for this competition. We are clear that where bids do not meet sufficient quality or value-for-money thresholds, the public sector will act as the provider.The Government remains committed to a diverse market of prison operators and competition for custodial services remains an important way of achieving that and driving quality of operations and innovation across the system.

Young Offenders: Protection

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 211 of the IICSA report Sexual Abuse of Children in Custodial Institutions: 2009–2017, published February 2019, what the terms of reference are of the safeguarding review being carried out on the children’s secure estate; what date the review was established; and what the timetable is for the report from that review to be published.

Edward Argar: The Youth Custody Service’s internal safeguarding review was established in April 2018, under the following Terms of Reference: Review, and where appropriate revise, the current operational policies for Safeguarding within the Youth Secure Estate;Review the processes for handling allegations and complaints, including but not limited to, access, response, investigation and the support offered to children and young peopleReview the corporate governance structures for safeguarding given the transfer of functions from the Youth Justice Board (YJB) to the Youth Custody Service (YCS)Review the staff recruitment and vetting procedures in place and systems for referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service.Review the safeguarding training offer and arrangements for all staffReview information sharing arrangements between different departments within establishments, for example between Safeguarding and Security teams.Ensure the YCS is compliant with and executing its duties in relation to the Working Together guidance issued by the Department for Education, and any other relevant statutory requirementsScope and establish working relationships with relevant external stakeholders. For example, the chairs of Local Safeguarding Children Boards on the custodial care of children; Association of Directors of Children’s Services; YJB etc.Make recommendations on policies, processes and procedures, as deemed necessary to improve safeguarding measures for children and young peopleShare and disseminate good practice with staff across the youth secure estate, in line with the YCS’s emerging continuous improvement model. The YCS safeguarding report is in the process of being finalised and I will write to you when the report has been submitted to me.

Prison Officers

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers in bands three to five in each prison have less than three years' experience.

Lucy Frazer: The number of HMPPS band 3-5 prison officers in post, as at 31 December 2018, with less than three years’ experience in each prison can be found in the accompanying excel table. The Ministry of Justice does not hold staffing numbers for privately managed prisons and, as such, their workforce statistics are not published. Every privately contracted prison is robustly scrutinised by an on-site Prison Service Controller who monitors their performance, including staffing levels. Some privately run prisons are among the best across the estate, and we are able to take rapid action if standards drop. We commend our hard-working prison officers who do a vital job in protecting the public every day, often in challenging and difficult circumstances. We want prison officers to stay and progress their careers. We’ve improved induction processes to ease transition into the job, provide care and support for our staff and offer additional training. These measures are part of the work we are doing directly with Governors to address local issues and ensure experienced staff and new recruits remain in the service.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.33 KB)

Prison Officers

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers in bands three to five in each prison have three or more years' experience.

Lucy Frazer: The number of HMPPS band 3-5 prison officers in post, as at 31 December 2018, with three or more years’ experience in each prison can be found in the accompanying excel table. The Ministry of Justice does not hold staffing numbers for privately managed prisons and, as such, their workforce statistics are not published. Every privately contracted prison is robustly scrutinised by an on-site Prison Service Controller who monitors their performance, including staffing levels. Some privately run prisons are among the best across the estate, and we are able to take rapid action if standards drop. We commend our hard-working prison officers who do a vital job in protecting the public every day, often in challenging and difficult circumstances. We want prison officers to stay and progress their careers. We’ve improved induction processes to ease transition into the job, provide care and support for our staff and offer additional training. These measures are part of the work we are doing directly with Governors to address local issues and ensure experienced staff and new recruits remain in the service.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.31 KB)

Prisons: Standards

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons are currently in special measures.

Edward Argar: The following prisons are in special measures as of 01 May 2019:Aylesbury, Bedford, Birmingham, Bristol, Chelmsford, Elmley, Exeter, Guys Marsh, Hewell, Lewes, Liverpool, Nottingham, The Mount, Wandsworth, Winchester, and Wormwood Scrubs.Special measures are put in place where an assessment of performance based on a combination of data, management information, judgement from senior operational management and external scrutiny determines that a prison needs additional specialist support to improve to an acceptable level.

Treasury

Loans: Interest Rates

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an anti-usury law to cap interest rates and give borrowers more protection.

John Glen: On 1 April 2014 the Government transferred regulatory responsibility for consumer credit from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA proactively monitors the market, focusing on the areas most likely to cause consumer harm. The Government has given the FCA the power to cap all forms of credit, and the FCA can do so if it thinks it is necessary to protect consumers. The FCA introduced a price cap on the cost of payday lending in 2015, and more recently introduced a price cap on rent-to-own which came into force on 1 April 2019. The Government has strong concerns about the practices that the FCA has identified in the rent-to-own market, and welcomes the FCA’s decision to introduce a price cap. The FCA has said that it will keep the issue of capping the cost of credit in other markets under review.

Mortgages

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to address the loyalty penalty in the mortgage market.

John Glen: HMT notes that consumer engagement in the mortgage market is high, with over three quarters of borrowers switching within 6 months of the end of an introductory deal. HMT has worked closely with the FCA to consider how to remove the regulatory barriers that prevent some customers from accessing better deals. HMT welcomes the FCA’s plans to move the affordability assessment from an absolute test to a relative one. This change removes the regulatory barrier that prevented some customers, who otherwise may have been able to switch, from accessing new mortgage products. HMT will continue to support the work the FCA is currently undertaking to improve switching and consumer engagement in the mortgage market.

Regional Planning and Development: North of England

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to use the forthcoming Spending Review to invest in the Northern Powerhouse.

Elizabeth Truss: Since 2010, over 60% of the increase in UK employment has come from regions outside of London and the South East, and all regions of the North of England have seen faster nominal productivity growth over that time period than London and the South East. The Government is continuing to support the Northern Powerhouse, for example, the £2.5bn Transforming Cities Fund as well as Devolution deals for Manchester, Liverpool and North of Tyne. We will continue to support this growth through the Spending Review later this year.

Public Health: Finance

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he plans to use the Spending Review to invest in public health.

Elizabeth Truss: The forthcoming Spending Review is an opportunity for the Government to make decisions on public spending in the round. As part of that, the Treasury will work closely with other departments to assess public health priorities.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Derelict Land

Jack Brereton: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding the Government has allocated from the public purse to help increase the viability of new housing development on brownfield sites in areas with lower market values.

Kit Malthouse: Bringing brownfield land back into use is a priority, which is why every local authority is now required to publish and maintain a register of brownfield land, containing up-to-date information on brownfield suitable for housing in the area.   While it is for local authorities to plan and bring forward suitable land, our funding programmes, delivered through Homes England, are also supporting brownfield land being brought forward. As at the end of March 2019, £909 million of the Home Building Fund Long Term Fund (74 per cent of total spend) had been spent on contracted schemes which will lead to 70,062 housing units (61 per cent of unlocked units) being developed on brownfield land. Other funds will also help to bring forward new housing on brownfield sites, such as our £450 million Accelerated Construction programme and our £5.5 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund.   Whilst this funding is available to all areas of the country, all applications undergo an assessment of their value for money for the taxpayer.

Local Government: Assets

Chris Philp: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the process for councils to dispose of property assets is; whether councils must demonstrate best value; and what the obligations of the council where a property is being transferred to a wholly owned subsidiary of that same council are.

Kit Malthouse: Public bodies should generally dispose of surplus land (including property assets built on that land) at the best possible price reasonably obtainable. However, the Government recognises that disposing of such land at less than best consideration can sometimes create wider public benefits.With regards to land (and property assets) held in the General Fund, a general consent issued under section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972 allows local authorities to dispose of land held for purposes other than housing or planning at an undervalue of less than £2 million, without seeking a specific consent from the Secretary of State where they consider it will help secure improvement of the economic, social or environmental well-being of the area. Secretary of State consent is required for disposals of such land at an undervalue of more than £2 million. Specific Secretary of State consent is required for disposals of land held for planning purposes regardless of the sale value.Specific rules also apply to housing land (including property assets). The 2013 General Consent under section 32 of the Local Government Act 1988, permits a local authority to dispose of such land at market value subject to condition that:(a) the disposal the property asset is not subject to a secure, introductory or demoted tenancy to occupy from the local authority to a landlord who is not another local authority;(b) the disposal of land where there is Reversionary Interests in Houses and Flats; or(c) the disposal of land to a body in which the local authority owns an interest except:(i) where the local authority has no housing revenue account; or(ii) in the case of a local authority with a housing revenue account, the first 5 disposals in a financial year.Secretary of State consent is required if a local authority wishes to dispose of housing land (including any property assets built on that land) at less than best value, including disposal to a local authority housing company.

Coastal Areas

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support coastal communities.

Jake Berry: We are committed to supporting coastal communities to unlock barriers to their development and growth, and to strengthen their appeal as places to live, work and visit.On 23 March, we announced a £36 million funding boost for coastal communities supporting 70 projects around the English coastline. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/james-brokenshire-announces-over-36-million-for-the-great-british-coast.This included a £663,000 Coastal Communities Fund Round 5 grant towards a £925,000 project (“Unlocking the Essex Coast Path”) to promote the Essex coast as a high quality visitor destination with a diverse tourism offer. Resorts along the Essex coast, including Clacton, will benefit from the project.The Government will have invested over £200 million in the Great British Coast by 2020 through dedicated programmes like the Coastal Communities Fund and the Coastal Revival Fund, to help generate jobs and boost businesses and bring iconic or at-risk heritage and community assets back into economic use. This investment is having tangible results in our coastal towns. The Coastal Communities Fund alone has invested over £218 million in 354 projects across the UK since 2012. The Fund is helping to create or safeguard over 18,000 UK jobs and generate £363 million in new visitor spend.Since 2015 we have provided £1.46 million to help establish 146 Coastal Community Teams around the English coastline. These Teams ensure the local community works together with the local authority, businesses, and local stakeholders to agree priorities for economic development in their area. Jaywick Sands Coastal Community Team was established in 2015 and is working to create a “new coastal village”, seeking to improve housing and social conditions for local residents, and stimulate a change in market conditions.

Non-domestic Rates

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of discretionary business rate relief for childcare providers offering funded places; and which local authorities offer that relief.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of effect of the cost of business rates on the financial sustainability of the childcare sector in England.

Rishi Sunak: Decisions on whether to grant discretionary business rates reliefs are taken by individual local authorities, and the Government does not hold data on whether local authorities award that relief to childcare providers.Since Budget 2016 the Government has introduced business rates measures in England worth £13 billion over the next five years. This includes switching the indexation of business rates from the retail price index to the consumer price index, representing a cut in rates to all ratepayers, including childcare providers, worth over £6 billion over the next five years. The Government has also doubled the threshold for 100 per cent small business rate relief meaning that 655,000 businesses including many childcare providers now pay no business rates at all.The Government monitors the childcare provider market closely through a range of research projects and plans to spend around £3.5 billion on our early education entitlements this year alone.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether officials of his Department have met with Professor Anna Stec to discuss her research into environmental contamination as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Kit Malthouse: The Government Chief Scientific Adviser has established an independent Science Advisory Group to quality-check the scientific methodology, testing process and analysis of results at each stage of the Government-led programme of additional Grenfell environmental checks. Professor Stec is a member of this group and MHCLG officials have attended meetings. The Science Advisory Group has reviewed Professor Stec’s research and reiterated their previous view that it does not change the approach or timetable of the Government-led environmental checks programme, on the basis that the research is preliminary which recommends the need for further investigations.In February 2018, MHCLG officials participated in a multi-agency teleconference chaired by the West London Clinical Commissioning Group and including officials from Public Health England to discuss Professor Stec’s research. Professor Stec outlined her emerging research which had not been shared at this stage with Government, its agencies, the NHS or local authority.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason comprehensive checks to assess environmental and health risks in the area around Grenfell Tower were not announced before October 2018.

Kit Malthouse: Independent air quality monitoring has been carried out around Grenfell Tower since June 2017, and has shown the risk to public health to be consistently low. Analysis of the long-term impact of the fire on public health was already ongoing and will continue by Public Health England, including consideration of a longer term environmental monitoring strategy. We recognise the community has concerns about the possibility of soil contamination following the Grenfell Tower fire, and therefore announced additional environmental checks to reassure the bereaved, survivors and wider community that any environmental risks to public health will be fully assessed and appropriate action taken.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Stage 1 of the additional environmental checks due to be carried out by AECOM in the area around Grenfell Tower has commenced.

Kit Malthouse: An independent specialist contractor, AECOM, has been appointed to undertake Stage 1 of the checks which involves background research to identify historical sources of pollution, analysis and exploratory sampling to inform the development of a more detailed specification for the main stage of the site investigation.Exploratory sampling in priority locations has started and community workshops took place on 25 and 27 April to inform the scope and priorities for Stage 1 of the investigation. We expect this stage to take about three months from start to finish.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2019 to Question 245804 on Buildings: Insulation, who the contract to carry out the BS 8414 test has been awarded to.

Kit Malthouse: Following an open competition the contract for a BS 8414 test of a High Pressure Laminate cladding system has been awarded to the Fire Protection Association.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants in his Department have been seconded to (a) the Department for Exiting the European Union and (b) the Department for International Trade in each of the last three years.

Jake Berry: No staff from this department have been seconded to the Department for Exiting the European Union or the Department for International Trade during the last three years.There have been eighteen outward loans to the departments in question during the last three years as shown in the table below.Number of outward loans by host department and the year commenced2016/172017/182018/19TotalDepartment for Exiting the European Union311115Department for International Trade0303Total314118

Ministry of Defence

Tanks

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to reduce the number of tanks.

Stuart Andrew: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 April 2019, to Question 246488, to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones).



246488-Challenger Tanks: Repairs and Maintenance
(Word Document, 27.81 KB)

Defence: Space

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant the Answer of 21 February 2019 to Question 221566 on Defence: Space, when his Department plans to publish a Defence Space Strategy.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence is firmly committed to a number of space programmes, and we are assessing our space capabilities, coherence and requirements. Our strategy work on space has developed significantly and will play a key role in Spending Review decisions. we are currently reviewing the right timing for publication of our strategy.

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which groups of parents are not required to pay child maintenance; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of parents who are primary carers for children who do not receive child maintenance.

Will Quince: All parents have a responsibility to support their children. Where an application is made to the Child Maintenance Service, a liability will be calculated based on the gross taxable income of the paying parent, provided all the relevant parties can be identified and are classed as habitually resident in the UK. In certain circumstances, where the paying parent: has a gross a weekly income below £7 per week; is a child; is in prison; is aged 16-17 years old and in receipt of prescribed benefits; is receiving a work based training allowance; is in a care home, hospital or receiving home care; this liability will be nil.The following publication includes statistics on the child maintenance arrangements of separated families:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/separated-families-population-statistics Information on the number of parents who are primary carers for children but do not receive child maintenance is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Housing

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new claimants for universal credit received two weeks’ run-on housing benefit while waiting for their first payment (a) in the last six months and (b) in the last month for which information is available.

Will Quince: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However, since it was introduced in April 2018, all Housing Benefit claimants, whose Housing Benefit award was ended because of a new claim to Universal Credit, have been awarded the two-week Transition to Universal Credit Housing Payment.

Universal Credit: Housing

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of claimants of universal credit who have a deduction for housing rent arrears in the first month of their claim in the last month for which data is available.

Will Quince: The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. Last resort deductions can be applied to protect vulnerable claimants from eviction and/or having their gas, electricity and water cut off, by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of these essential services. If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions being made, they can contact the Department to request that a reduction in their deductions be considered. The latest available data is for eligible claims to UC Full Service that are due a payment in December 2018. Of those claims with a payment in December 2018 relating to the first month of their claim, 2% have a deduction to repay rent arrears. This equates to 3,000 claims. NotesRent arrears deductions are defined as arrears of rent and/or service charges relating to a rented propertyFigures for rent arrears deduction include only those claims with a non-zero rent arrears deduction.Figures rounded to nearest 1,000.

Employment and Social Security Benefits: Learning Disability

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to support people with learning disabilities access (a) benefits and (b) employment opportunities.

Justin Tomlinson: Universal Credit provides enhanced personalised support for all claimants. All claimants receive continuous tailored support managed through personal work coaches, who know each person. Our work coaches receive extensive training to ensure they can offer effective support to different claimant groups, including those with learning disabilities. From 1 April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland are delivering the new ‘Help to Claim’ support to claimants making a new Universal Credit (UC) claim or moving from a legacy benefit to UC because of a change of circumstances. The Citizens Advice Help to Claim service offers tailored, practical support to help people make a UC claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. It is available online, through web-chat, through a Freephone number and face to face through local Citizens Advice services. Telephony support is also available through the Universal Credit Freephone line for claimants who cannot make or maintain their claim online. Where a claimant is unable to manage their own affairs, an appointee can act on their behalf, taking responsibility for making and maintaining a claim. Personal Independence Payment can be paid to disabled people irrespective of their employment status. Claimants with a severe mental health or behavioural condition, learning disability, developmental disorder or cognitive problems, who may have difficulty engaging with the claims process, and with no support network in place can be provided with additional support during the claims process if they need it. This support can include help filling in the form or the questionnaire and additional protections for failing to return the questionnaire or for failing to attend a face-to-face assessment. We are supporting disabled people, including those with learning disabilities, to prepare for employment, enter and retain work through a range of initiatives, for example: Access to Work; the Local Supported Employment proof of concept; and the new Intensive Personalised Employment Support scheme, which is expected to be running by the end of 2019.

Universal Credit

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department's policies of the Trussell Trust recommendation to change the five-week wait for universal credit payments to reduce the use of foodbanks.

Alok Sharma: No UC claimant has to wait five weeks for their first payment. If required, advances of up to 100 per cent of their expected UC award are available to claimants from day one of their claim. Advances are paid back over a maximum of 12 months and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, allowing claimants up to 16 months. This is just one of a number of measures the Department has put in place to support claimants such as paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans to include an income assessment form in the application for advance payments for universal credit; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: Introducing an income assessment could cause delay to Universal Credit (UC) new claim advances, the purpose of which is to provide fast access to a payment for people in financial need until their first UC payment’s due. The Department will increase the maximum recovery period for advances on new claims from 12 months to 16 months from October 2021. If an unforeseen event occurs that would result in hardship once recovery begins, in certain circumstances, repayments can be deferred for up to 3 months.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the value of advanced payments that will be paid to claimants of universal credit in 2019.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pension, what estimate she has made of the value of advanced payments that will be paid to claimants of universal credit  in each of the next five years.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit (UC) new claim advances provide fast access to a payment for people in financial need until their first UC payment is due. Assistance of up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which is paid back over a period of up to 12 months, and from October 2021 up to 16 months, is available. The estimated value of advanced payments that were paid to Universal Credit (UC) claimants for new claims and benefits transfers in the financial year 2018/2019 is £502m (source: DWP internal statistics). The projected value of advanced payments that will be paid to claimants of UC for new claims and benefits transfers in each of the next five years is £676m in 2019/2020 rising to £862m in 2023/2024. This projection is line with the expected increase in UC claims. YearProjected Advances Spend (£m)2019/2020£6762020/2021£6822021/2022£6782022/2023£7662023/2024£862 Source: DWP internal modelling of advances. Notes:  The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.Figures have been rounded to the nearest £million.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the two-child limit on families with a low income; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: It is the Department’s view that providing support for a maximum of two children or qualifying young persons in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit will ensure fairness between those supporting themselves solely through work and those receiving benefits. The Government continues to take action to help families with the cost of living, including raising the national living wage, reducing the Universal Credit earnings taper, raising the income tax personal allowance, introducing tax-free childcare and 30 hours a week of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds. Furthermore, under Universal Credit, working families can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month. This can be claimed up to a month before starting a job. For families with two children this could be worth up to £13,000 a year. The Government has assessed the impact of the policy from an equality and human rights perspective throughout its development and in preparation for its implementation. The Department published statistics related to the first year of policy implementation in June 2018, and have committed to subsequent annual releases.

Universal Credit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that the universal credit childcare support offer does not require parents to (a) pay childcare costs upfront and (b) provide receipts.

Will Quince: We recognise the difficulty that some claimants might have in paying upfront childcare costs. Where the initial month’s childcare costs may prevent a claimant from starting work, Jobcentres will use the Flexible Support Fund to help claimants in the first instance. This is a non-repayable award, which can be used to meet the upfront childcare costs to help support a claimant into work. For claimants who are in work and need help with upfront childcare costs, budgeting advances are available that can be used to cover the cost of paying upfront childcare costs or a deposit. The payment of Universal Credit Childcare costs is based on monthly reporting by the claimant of the actual childcare costs the household incurs. Claimants are required to provide a receipt of the eligible costs they have paid and these are then reimbursed within their Universal Credit award. Such monthly reporting ensures accuracy whilst reducing the levels of error and the possibility of overpayments.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department issues to GPs on the provision of fit notes for patients who are undergoing an appeal for employment and support allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department provides  guidance on the benefits system for GPs which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-short-guide-to-the-benefit-system-for-general-practitioners.

Children: Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to collect and publish (a) the number of deductions from benefits and (b) instances of sharing non-compliant parents' information with credit reference agencies.

Will Quince: This question has been interpreted as referring to actions taken by the Child Maintenance Service. The Department does hold information regarding:deductions from the benefits received by a paying parent on the Child Maintenance Service in order to pay Child Maintenance;instances in which the details of non-compliant paying parents on the Child Maintenance Service have been shared with credit reference agencies.The Department has no immediate plans to publish this information. However, with the completion of the Child Support Agency case closure programme, and the implementation of the new Child Maintenance compliance and arrears strategy, the Department continues to review what information is included in regular publications.

Funerals: Fees and Charges

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of families were unable to afford the funeral of family member in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: No such assessment has been made. Funeral poverty is not just an issue for Government. Providers of funeral services, including the church, funeral directors, local authorities and owners of crematoriums, all have a role to play in ensuring funerals are accessible for everyone.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to allow rehoming organisations to rehome banned section 1 dogs.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the scientific evidence is for determining that the four breeds of dog banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 pose more of a risk to the public then other dog breeds.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with animal welfare organisations on the rehoming of dogs banned under section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

David Rutley: The evidence I provided the House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA), as part of its review into controlling dangerous dogs, sets out what can be done with respect to the transfer of ownership of prohibited dogs. Defra has also had discussions with animal welfare organisations on the issue.Evidence is available via the following link:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvfru/1892/1892.pdf In relation to dog attacks, the Metropolitan Police provided evidence to last year’s review on controlling dangerous dogs by the EFRA Committee which showed that pit bull terriers were disproportionately involved in dog attacks (section 3 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 offences, completed cases). The Metropolitan Police figures indicated that in 2015-16 pit bulls were responsible for 19.3% (92) of all reported dog attacks in Greater London out of a total of 468 cases. Pit bull terriers are considered to represent much less than 19.3% of the dog population and it is concerning that one type of dog, which does not have high levels of ownership, is disproportionately responsible for that many dog attacks in London. In addition, information collected by Defra shows the pit bull terrier to be disproportionately involved in fatal dog attacks, with seven fatalities out of 34 since 2005 caused by pit bull terriers.

Poultry

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 15 April 2019 to Questions 242653 and 242654, for what reason his Department has not removed the White-Fronted Goose from schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 given that that goose is endangered on a similar level to the Greenland White-Fronted Goose.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The European white fronted goose is not of global conservation concern so we do not intend to add any protections for it.

Fly-tipping

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate the Government has made of the cost of clearance of fly-tipped materials by local authorities in England during 2017-18.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many fly-tipping incidents were reported by local authorities in England in 2017-18.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In 2017/18 local authorities in England reported dealing with just under 1 million (998,000) fly-tipping incidents. From 2017/18 the Government has stopped producing indicative costs to local authorities of costs of clearance of fly-tipping because the standard cost units are now more than ten years out of date. We still collect actual data on clearance costs for ‘tipper lorry load’ and ‘significant/multi load’ incident categories. In 2017/18 34,000 or 4% of total incidents were of ‘tipper lorry load’ size or larger. For these large fly-tipping incidents, the cost of clearance to local authorities in England in 2017/18 was £12.2 million. Further data on fly-tipping is published at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the response of 5 March 2019 to freedom of information request number FOI2019/02691, how many additional Defra group staff have been placed in EU exit roles since 31 December 2018.

David Rutley: Defra have placed an additional c.700 staff into EU Exit work between 31 December 2018 and 31 March 2019. The figures for the end of April have not yet been published.

Packaging

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage online businesses to use environmentally friendly packaging.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy for England published in December last year sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution and move towards a more circular economy. This builds on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. Our priority is to prevent or reduce waste in the first place. The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations already require businesses, including online retailers, to ensure that all their packaging does not exceed what is needed to make sure that the products are safe, hygienic and acceptable for both the packed product and for the consumer. As part of the Resources and Waste Strategy, we have committed to review the effectiveness of these regulations by the end of next year. These regulations apply to those responsible for the packing or filling of products into packaging and those importing packed or filled packaging into the UK from elsewhere. We are also consulting on reforms to the way we manage packaging waste. The reforms to the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations will require producers to fund the full net cost of managing the packaging they place on the market, once it becomes waste. This creates an incentive for companies, including obligated online businesses, to use less packaging and to ensure that their packaging can be recycled at end of life as it will reduce their costs in complying with the regulations. We have set out in our consultation options for how we want to enhance the incentive for producers to make better packaging design choices. The options are for a modulated fee system or a deposit fee system. These options provide a financial incentive for producers, in addition to the full net cost fees, to move towards using more easily recycled packaging materials and formats. In addition to this, the consultation also sets out a proposal to require online marketplace businesses to ensure that the packaging that is sold through their websites from outside the UK is compliant with the regulations.

Birds: Pest Control

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the consultation conducted by Natural England with countryside organisations in advance of withdrawing three General Licences on the 24 April 2019.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the reply previously given on 29 April 2019 to PQ 246908.

Home Office

Drugs: Crime

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the potential links between retail crime incidents and illegal drug use.

Victoria Atkins: We know that there is a strong link between drug misuse and offending, and offenders who use heroin and crack cocaine are estimated to commit 45% of all acquisitive crime.The Government recognises that there are strong links between drug misuse and offending. Our Drug Strategy is clear that supporting people to address their dependence on drugs through treatment and recovery support is critical to tackling the risk of reoffending. This includes the use of health-based, rehabilitative interventions within the criminal justice system to help prevent further substance misuse and offending.In addition, I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group which brings together key partners to drive forward progress on tackling retail crime.

Lancashire Constabulary: Expenditure

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much Lancashire Constabulary spent on providing policing resources to sporting events throughout Lancashire in (a) 2018 and (b) 2014.

Mr Nick Hurd: Spending information of this nature is not held centrally by the Home Office.It is for elected Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to decide how their force’s resources are deployed, including those to provide public order support to sporting events.

Police: Horses

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police horses have died as a result of injuries sustained whilst on active duty in (a) England and (b) Lancashire in each of the in the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold centrally any information on the number of police horses injured whilst on duty in service of police forces.

Alcoholic Drinks: Sales

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to review the requirement for holographic ID for the purchase of alcohol.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office has no plans to review the requirement for a holographic mark or an ultra-violet feature on identification used for the purchase of alcohol. In due course, the mandatory licensing condition that includes this requirement will need to be amended to allow the use of digital forms of identification. However, at present there are no industry standards on which to base such an amendment.

Knives: Crime

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the College of Policing's knife crime briefing published in April 2019.

Victoria Atkins: We welcome the Knife Crime Evidence Briefing published by the College of Policing on 27 April as a valuable contribution to the response to knife crime and serious violence. The report is consistent with the evidence and approach that we set out in the Serious Violence Strategy which we published in April last year. Specifically, the briefing supports the Government’s view that tackling knife crime and serious violence cannot be solely focused on law enforcement, but it should also involve a multi-agency approach involving a wide range of sectors, including education, health, social services, housing, youth services, victim services and others. This is why we launched our consultation on a new legal duty to ensure public bodies take action to prevent serious violence on 1 April. The consultation explores how a legal duty will support effective multi-agency work. It is open to everyone to respond and can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/serious-violence-new-legal-duty-to-support-multi-agency-action. The consultation closes on 28 May.The College of Policing briefing is consistent with the approach we are tak-ing through the £22 million Early Intervention Youth Fund, which is already supporting 29 projects delivering interventions to young people at risk of becoming involved in knife crime and serious violence. We have also launched the £200 million Youth Endowment Fund, which will be delivered over the next 10 years to support interventions with children and young people at risk of involvement in crime and violence, focusing on those most at risk to steer them away from violence and to offer them a better future. In addition, our national knife crime media campaign - #knifefree – is raising awareness of the consequences of knife crime amongst young people, and through the Offensive Weapons Bill we will be introducing new Knife Crime Prevention Orders to help the police divert young people who they know are at risk of becoming involved in knife crime, to make more positive life choices.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 221003 on Immigration: EU Nationals, whether organisations have been contracted to translate the settled status registration (a) process and (b) app into British Sign Language; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The EU Settlement Scheme is supported by a Grant Scheme to support various groups including deaf people. We will announce further details in due course.All EU Settlement Scheme communications campaign videos, including video guidance on how to use the app, as well as all translated versions, are subtitled. These videos are available on Gov.uk.The Settlement Resolution Centre which provides help and information to individuals completing their EU Settlement Scheme application can be contacted via e-mail.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the impact assessment on the European temporary leave to remain scheme included an assessment of the effect of that scheme on the differentiated system of academic courses across the UK.

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation the Government has had with EU students in Scotland on the European temporary leave to remain scheme.

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to prepare for a potential increase in applications for Tier 4 visas from students as a result of the European temporary leave to remain scheme.

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation she has had with her counterpart in the Scottish Government on the potential increase in applications for Tier 4 visas as a result of the European temporary leave to remain scheme.

Caroline Nokes: The transitional arrangements under European Temporary Leave to Remain will only be required in the event that the UK leaves the EU without securing a deal. The Government has been clear that leaving the EU with a deal remains our top priority.The Government has regular contact with representatives of the education sector, and the Scottish Government, and will continue to consult with the relevant stakeholders during the course of our 12 month engagement with stakeholders on the UK’s future skills-based immigration system.As we move towards the future system, the Government will continue to consult with internal stakeholders to ensure that operational capability is given due consideration as we build an immigration system that works for the whole of the UK, including the education sector.

Immigration: Reviews

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reviews his Department is undertaking into immigration issues; and what the topic is of each of those reviews.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is conducting a number of reviews across the immigration system, including, the Wendy Williams lessons learned review, the forward-looking Borders, Immigration and Citizenship System review and Darra Singh’s assessment of the Home Office’s response to the use of DNA evidence in immigration cases.It is important that we reflect very closely on our policies and our rules to ensure we have an immigration system that provides control but is also fair and humane. Therefore at any time, as a matter of routine, the Home Office will be reviewing aspects of the performance and operation of the immigration system.

Home Office: Staff

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many FTE staff work in the Third Country Unit in her Department.

Caroline Nokes: The total number of active staff who work in the Third Country Unit is currently 17.12 FTE.The Third Country Unit are currently recruiting staff, and this is expected to be concluded by the end of June, at which time the total will be 35 FTE.

Police: Pensions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps is his Department taking to tackle the variations in the payment of police pensions to  widows and widowers in the constituent parts of the UK.

Mr Nick Hurd: Policing is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are responsible for the design and funding of police pensions, including provisions for widows and widowers, in those parts of the United Kingdom. The Government takes decisions on public service pensions in line with its duty to ensure that public services are affordable, sustainable and fair.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many companies based in (a) Wales, (b) the UK, (c) the EU and (d) the rest of the world had contracts or grants awarded by his Department in each of the last three years; and what the value of those contracts or grants was.

Kevin Foster: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales does not issue contracts directly. The Office buys goods and services under Government frameworks agreements and receives procurement services from the Ministry of Justice. The Office has not awarded any grants.

Wales Office: Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many civil servants in his Department have been seconded to (a) the Department for Exiting the European Union and (b) the Department for International Trade in each of the last three years.

Kevin Foster: None.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether it remains Government policy for the UK to leave the (a) Single Market and (b) Customs Union.

Mr Robin Walker: Yes.We are not seeking membership of the Single Market, or Customs Union, after we leave the EU, but a bold and ambitious economic partnership. The Political Declaration sets out a clear vision for the UK’s future relationship with the EU.The negotiated Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration outline the EU and UK's shared commitment to a free trade area for goods with no tariffs, quotas or rules of origin requirements. The Prime Minister has been clear that we will have an independent trade policy.

Department for International Trade

Drinks: Exports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase the export market of UK beverages.

Graham Stuart: UK beverages are an important contributor to our overall food and drink exports and were worth £7.6bn in 2018, an increase of 4.9% on 2017. Whisky alone accounted for over 63% of beverage exports and DIT works with bodies such as the Scotch Whisky Association across trade policy and market access, working to reduce trade barriers and assist getting products into overseas markets. DIT collaborates closely with industry directly and key stakeholders such as the Wine and Spirits Trade Association across a wide range of export promotion activities such as meet the buyer events and trade missions; both in the UK and overseas.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: North West

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of level of access to superfast fibre broadband in (a) Liverpool West Derby constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) North West England; and what steps he is taking to increase access to that service in those areas.

Margot James: According to Thinkbroadband; 99.7% of premises in Liverpool West constituency currently have access to Superfast broadband. 96.8% of premises in the North West, have access to Superfast broadband. Thinkbroadband does not hold specific information for Merseyside. Despite high levels of access to superfast speeds in these areas, many premises are choosing not to take it up. Current take up rates for broadband stands at 46.6% of premises in the Merseyside area, and 45.2% in the North West. DCMS run several voucher schemes which are available to the public to help increase broadband services across the UK. The Better Broadband Voucher Scheme is available to those who are unable to obtain a connection speed above 2Mbps. The Scheme can support access to satellite broadband, or fixed 4G or wireless connections in some locations. The Better Broadband Voucher Scheme will be open for applications until 31st December 2019, ensuring that an affordable basic broadband installation remains available to eligible applicants. Further information is available at:https://basicbroadband.culture.gov.uk/. In March 2018 the Local Full Fibre Networks programme launched its £67m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. Small to medium sized businesses can claim a voucher worth up to £2,500, and residents can claim a voucher worth up to £500 as part of a group project. Businesses and local community groups interested in requesting a voucher can find details of suppliers in their local area on our website at: https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2018 to Question 170815 on Voluntary Work: Young People, how many of the NCS participants eligible for Free School Meals completed the programme in (a) the UK and (b) London in each of the last five years.

Mims Davies: National Citizen Service20132014201520162017**England* Eligible for Free School MealsParticipants7,3029,28312,33414,42716,702Completed6,5358,46511,48613,45915,511London  Eligible for Free School MealsParticipants2,0961,6333,1063,6364,117Completed1,9421,5902,9673,4583,900* Participation/completion data is not disaggregated for Northern Ireland; Wales ran an NCS pilot in 2014, but decided not to roll-out across the country; Scotland decided not to implement an NCS programme.** The final participation and completion figures for the National Citizen Service programme in 2018 are undergoing compliance checks and will be published on gov.uk by Autumn 2019.

Television: Licensing

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that cable and satellite TV companies to share their subscription information with TV Licensing to improve the investigation and enforcement process as set out in section 5 of the TV licence free enforcement review.

Margot James: The government expects the BBC to collect the licence fee in an efficient and proportionate way to reduce costs and evasion. We continue to explore the feasibility of subscription data sharing.

Mobile Phones: Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to (a) protect critical national infrastructure, business and consumers from the vulnerabilities to hackers in mobile signalling networks SS7 and Diameter and (b) mitigate against the risk of such attacks.

Margot James: It was announced in 2016 as part of the National Cyber Security Strategy that SS7 and Diameter protocols used within mobile networks would be tackled within the National Cyber Security Center’s (NCSC) published Active Cyber Defence programme. The NCSC continues to work closely with mobile operators to reduce the vulnerability of UK networks. In addition, the NCSC works with other critical sectors to provide guidance on how to mitigate the risks of such attacks.

House of Commons Commission

Parliament: Huawei

Jo Platt: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether Huawei equipment is used in the parliamentary (a) telecoms and communications network and (b) security and surveillance network.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 01 May 2019



No Huawei equipment is used in the parliamentary telecoms, communications, security or surveillance networks.The only use of Huawei kit is for mobile cellular enhancement. Firstly, this is in devices (commonly referenced as MiFi devices) that are used to boost access to the parliamentary mobile phone provider’s network (O2) where signal strength is problematic. The MiFi devices do not connect to the Parliamentary network and should be viewed as extensions to the O2 mobile phone network. This equipment is branded O2 rather than Huawei.Secondly, there already is, and there will be some additional, Huawei equipment installed by the four Mobile Network Operators to provide cellular signal enhancement in Parliament.Huawei components are used by all the major mobile telephony networks in the UK. Parliament has no evidence on which to base a recommendation either in favour of or against the use of Huawei kit on such networks. The risk of mobile phone telecommunications networks use of Huawei kit is managed at a national level by the National Cyber Security Centre, Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure and the private sector, and Parliament takes its lead from the national stance on the risks present from its use.

Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Members: Allowances

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what involvement did the Speaker's committee had in the formulation of the new claims system for hon. Members' allowances.

Mr Charles Walker: As part of its role to approve IPSA’s Estimate, in March 2016, the Speaker’s Committee approved funds for a wide-ranging improvement programme, including plans for a new IT system, IPSA Online. This took into account longstanding feedback from MPs and their staff about the need to modernise and improve IPSA’s systems and processes. In subsequent years, the Speaker’s Committee has scrutinised progress on this programme via the annual Estimate approval process, as well as other formal and informal updates.The Speaker’s Committee had no direct input into the design of IPSA Online, but has received regular updates on the key features of the system and IPSA’s plans for engagement and training activities.More generally, IPSA engaged with MPs and staff members throughout the development of IPSA Online through activities including surveys, meetings, usability testing and training sessions, in order to take account of their needs and preferences. IPSA is committed to ongoing liaison with MPs and their staff to gain further feedback on the new system now that it has been launched.